Orange shirts fill Edmonton river valley for sold-out race
Orange shirts filled Kinsmen Park Friday as runners and walkers gathered for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
The second annual Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk was sold out, with 28 teams taking to river valley trails in remembrance.
"It was started last year to honour and remember the children who never came home, our little ancestors that never came home," said race director Anita Cardinal. "As well as to support those who did, who deal with intergenerational traumas every day."
The annual event is a fundraiser for OrangeshirtDay.org, Bear Clan Patrol YEG and Indigenous youth scholarships.
Cardinal, a runner, said the run/walk invites people from diverse backgrounds to participate in remembering that Every Child Matters.
"Running has been a source of healing for me. Running brings people together. I call it running towards the truth," she said.
Runners could register in three distances. In addition to a 10-kilometre and a five-kilometre course, a kids race followed a 2.15 kilometre trail – in recognition of the first 215 unmarked children's graves found in Kamloops in May 2021.
At the end of the day, participants were invited to an Elder's circle, to sit and listen.
"I think that is at the heart of what this race was, to bring everybody together so that we could all come together to learn from one another," Cardinal said. "Understanding and compassion is also another way moving forward and carrying hope."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.